Improvement in type-writing machines



UNITED STATES PATENT Orrin.

JAY READ PEMBER, OF RANDOLPH, VERMONT.

IMPROVEMENT IN TYPE-WRITING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 139,914, dated J une17, 1873; application filed January 31, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAY READ PEMBER, of Randolph, Orange county,Vermont, have invented certain lmprovemcnts relating to Type-WritingMachines, of which the following is a specification:

Many machines have been constructed, and

I more proposed, having for their object to print one letter at a time,according as keys are fingered by the operator. .My machine isanalogous; but, instead of printing only one letter at a time, it printsseveral, preferably four, and the paper is, of course, moved along to acorrespondingly greater extent at each movement.

I believe it is practicable for a skillful operator, with practice, tooperate-four sets of keys, two with the thumbs and two with the fingers,with a rapidity nearly equal to that with which single sets of keys maybe operated. The time required by the machine to allow the feedingforward of the paper and the movements of the printing devices and i thepaper toward each other and back again may obviously be as little foroperating a number as a single type.

The details maybe carried out with various modifications. I will proceedY to describe what I consider the best construction of the apparatus ina simple form, adapted for printing only two letters at a time. p

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Figs. 3, 4, and 5show details, detached. Fig. 3 shows one of the keys with a sectionthrough the key boards or supports, and a partial view of one of thelevers. Fig.- 4. is a side elevation of that part of a lever with itshinged'fiap and spring. Fig. 5 is a view of the same from below. Theadditional figure shows the arrangement for printing four letters at atime.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre- .spondin g parts in all thefigures.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, A is the fixed fram-' ing of the machine,certain parts thereof being indicated when necessary by A A &c.

B C are levers turning on a fixed axis, a. The long arms B C of theselevers outweigh the short arms B 0 and are moreover drawn down bysprings G H. D is a litter sliding in a guide, A and operated by atreadle, E, to turn both the levers B O by raising the long arms B 0 Therange of motion of each arm B and G is sufficient to present, eitherdirectly or through the intervention of gearing, the entire series ofletters in the alphabet, with such marks, stops, numbers, 850., as arerequired. I allow the treadle to raise the long arms B O with eachmotion to their highest limit, and I arrest the arms at differentpointsin their descent as required to present the right letters to thepaper. M M, 820., and N N, 850., are pins sliding in the up right framesor key-boards A A and forced outward by springs m a. They serve as keys,the one set M being operated by the left hand and the other set N beingoperated by the right hand of the operator. The long arms B O of thelevers B O are each provided with a hinged flap controlled by a spring,and traversing close to the ends of the corresponding pins. When a pin,M, is pressed inward by the finger so that its inner end projects intothe path of the flap b, the latter may yield by the action of its springI) and allow the lever to rise; but on the descent of the lever the fiapis arrested by the projecting end of the pin M, and, according to theposition at which it is thus arrested, a letter or type will bepresented by the other end of the lever to act on the paper. The end or"each pin M N is formed with a collar, M N as shown, and the under sidesof the corresponding flaps b c are each formed with a corresponding lipor flange, b c. When a pin M N is pressed inward by the finger and heldthere until the corresponding lever has descended so as to press itsflap b or 0 upon it, the lip on the under side of the flap en gages withthe collar on the end of the pin and holds the parts locked or hookedtogether so that the pin cannot retreat if the finger is withdrawn toosoon. The fingers may, therefore, after having pressed inward a pinuntil it is thus engaged, be occupied in finding the proper pin for thenext operation while the printing is being effected on the paper and thelevers are being raised again by the treadle preparatory to the nextoperation.

I take care to dispose the pinsMandNin such a manner that the pressingin of either pin shall hold the respective lever at a different heightfrom any other which it will be held by the pressing in of any other pinin the series. Each side of the machine is a complete series in itself,and acts entirely independent of the opposite side, except that bothlevers are operated by the same treadle, and the paper is presented.

I propose to ink the types with any suitable ink, preferably a thinprinting-ink, such as is used in the printing-telegraph, and to applythe same by one or more rollers or pads. I propose to draw the paperagainst the types at each operation, having the paper mounted on a flator other surface, preferably for some uses on a cylinder with an endwiseas well as a rotary motion.

The short arm 0 of the lever G is represented as carrying the typesdirectly on its curved extremity. The short arm of the lever B, on thecontrary, is represented as gearing into a segment of a wheel, by meansof which the motion is multiplied and the types are pre sented on arounder surface than would be otherwise practicable. I can use either ofthese arrangements for both levers, but prefer the gearing shownconnected with the lever B. Although I have shown in these figures onlytwo levers carrying types to be printed simultaneously side by side onthe paper, I can employ a larger number.

Fig. 6 is an outline diagram, showing the arrangement which I proposefor thus presen ting four types at once. In this the central levers Band 0 correspond in their arrangement and functions to those beforedescribed, whileR and S are additional levers mounted loosely on thesame shaft a, and subjectto be lifted by the same lifter D; but theselevers R and S are widened at their fulcrums or points of turning on theshaft a, so that the long arms R S are considerably wider apart than thecorresponding arms of the other levers, and are thus brought within therange of two other sets of pins, X and Y. It being understood that theselevers are provided with hinged flaps, and that the pins are similarlyprovided with springs for iorcin g them back, and collars for holdingthem engaged with the flaps, it only requires suflicient skill on thepart of the operator to play the pins X Y with the fingers while thepins M N are played with the thumbs.

I can employ carbon paper or ribbon as a means of producing theimpression instead of ink. The lifter D, instead of sliding through theframe-work A, may be a lever turning loosely on the same shaft a as theother levers and properly connected to the treadle.

It may be found preferable by most operators to make the thrust or treadwith the foot simultaneously with the action of the fingers and thumbs.To better effect this, and for other reasons, it may be preferable toreverse the action of the treadle, provide a sufficient- 1y strongspring under the lifter D to hold it with its load always in the highestposition, and allow the force of the treadle to be exercised indepressing the lifter.

With either or any arrangement the levers B C may move a little furtherthan is required to pass its entire series of pins or keys, and thefirst or last part of its motion may be made available by suitableconnections to press up the paper and receive the impression.

I conceive it possible to operate, with proper connections, five sets ofpins or keys with each hand, employing, of course, a correspondingnumber of levers or other suitable connections.

Some of the advantages due to certain features of the invention may beseparately enumerated as follows:

First, by reason of the fact that at each impression of the paper two ormore types are presented and the paper is fed forward to acorrespondingly increased extent, I am able to operate with a nearlycorrespondingly increased rapidity without involving any more rapidmotion of any of the parts.

Second, by reason of the arrangement of the two key-boards A A with thekeys M N, as shown, so as to be operated toward each other, the handsare easily applied, and the keys are able to act on their respectivelevers with direct and simple mechanism.

Third, by reason of the four sets of keys M N X Y, and four levers, B OR S, arranged as shown I am able to operate two sets conveniently witheach hand, and to cause each to adjust its types independently by verysimple movements.

Fourth, by reason of the mounting of the types or letter-producingdevices on the segment 1, geared, as shown, by the teethz' B to therespective operating-lever, I am able to give a large range of movementto the printin g-surface with a moderate motion of the 0peratin g-lever,and, by the curvature of the surface, to diminish the risk of producingany impression by the letter above or below the one used.

Fifth, by reason of the hinged flaps and springs on the several levers,I avoid stoppage of the action or strain, or fracture of any part, if apin is pushed in before the corresponding lever is properly raised.

Sixth, by reason of the locking-collars on the several pins, and thecorresponding engaging-lips on the levers B O, or on parts carriedthereon, I am able to retain the pins in their inward position, andconsequently to hold the levers ready for an impression as long as maybe desired after they are once placed.

1 claim as my invention in type-writing ma chines- 1. The combination oftwo or more sets of type'presenting means, B O, with controlling keys MN, and connecting mechanism, so that the two or more types shall bepresented simultaneously in proper order to the paper at the will of theoperator, substantially as herein specified.

2. The key-boards A A pins M N, and levers B O, with means D, for movingthe same in one direction at will, combined and arranged for jointoperation, as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. In combination with the type-presenting means B G, operating-keys MN, and the connecting mechanism, the duplicate sets of keys X Y, andcorresponding type-presenting means R S, and their connecting mechanism,arranged as shown and adapted to be operat- Ed simultaneously therewith,as herein speci- 4. In combination with the lever B, its segment end,and series of keys M for arresting its motion at differents points inits sweep, the type-segment I 'i operated by the lever as and for thepurposes herein specified.

5. In combination with the series of movable keys M, and lever Bsweeping across the motion thereof, and suitable printing devicescarried by the said lever, the hinged flap b, with its spring 11 servingtherewith, as herein specified.

6. In a type-printing machine having a lever, B, arrested in differentpositions by keys or pins M, the collar on on the said arresting meansadapted to engage with and to hold the lever, substantially as and forthe purposes herein specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of January,1873, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAY READ PEMBER. Witnesses:

W. O. DEY, ARNOLD HtSRMANN.

